The European Soil Database at scale 1:1,000,000 is part of the European Soil Information System (EUSIS). It is the resulting product of a collaborative project involving all the European Union and neighbouring countries. It is a simplified representation of the diversity and spatial variability of the soil coverage. The methodology used to differentiate and name the main soil types is based on the terminology of the F.A.O. legend for the Soil Map of the World at scale 1:5,000,000. This terminology has been refined and adapted to take account of the specificities of the landscapes in Europe. It is itself founded on the distinction of the main pedogenetic processes leading to soil differentiation: brunification, lessivage, podzolisation, hydromorphy, etc.